Opinion: When Google/Apple war simplify media syncing consumers win

Sick tired of managing your media locally? Is tethered syncing of your music, photo, and movie libraries between your tablets and phones driving you nuts? Soon there’ll be a better way and you’ll thank a growing rivalry between Apple and Google for that.

What, you didn’t hear that the search firm revealed its music plans? If you’re still in doubt, the official Google Music logo seen on the right is now live on the Google domain, even though it’s not listed yet on their press site. Google began putting the pieces of its web-based iTunes killer together with a recent acquisition of Simplify Media, a startup that offers software for sharing your iTunes and Windows Media Player media with a bunch of devices and platforms, including the web, without the need for tethered synchronizing.

Google’s vice president Vic Gundotra revealed at the Google I/O conference last month that Simplify’s technology will power a new desktop app for accessing your media on Android devices. You’ll be able to use the storefront app on your computer to buy music in a dedicated Android Market section. Even better, song purchases will automatically download to your Android device over-the-air, without the need to tether the device to your computer and perform a manual sync. As a result, cross-platform media sharing will be be possible, such as from your computer to your phone. Some folks think you’ll be even able to upload your music to the cloud and stream any song to authorized devices, be it a computer, a phone, or a tablet.

If Google’s line of thinking sounds similar to what Apple is allegedly doing with iTunes, that’s because it is. It’s been rumored over the past months that Apple has been working a new technology that will leverage their $1 billion North Carolina server farm investment. Dubbed cloud iTunes, the service is supposed to allow you to upload your entire iTunes media library up to the cloud, both the music purchased on the iTunes Store and the songs you imported yourself.

Once there, the cloud would stream songs to any iTunes-authorized device, such as Windows and Mac OS X boxes, iPhones, iPod touches, iPads, and Apple TVs. However, something like this would require a new licencing agreement between Apple and the music industry and there are no indications that such negotiations are underway, AppleInsider warned. The publication explained why the labels may have issues over such a service:

Talks with the labels have reportedly gained little traction, as they feel streaming a single purchase to multiple devices constitutes multiple uses. By that definition, the labels could seek a greater share of revenue from iTunes purchases.

Cloud iTunes is mentioned in another rumor describing a service called iTunes Replay that should enable 1080p movie streaming to a rumored $100 Apple TV that will lack a hard drive storage. You’d be forgiven for deeming all of this a too futuristic wishful thinking. Despite skepticism, there’s no denying that Google is entering the music space in a big way. On top of that, Apple is pouring one billion dollars into datacenters for a reason. Besides, the two tech giants wouldn’t have been betting big on media streaming and the cloud hadn’t the music industry approved this endeavor.

Whichever way you look at it, we’re in for a lot of surprises. You may soon kiss goodbye that tedious local media management and stop worrying about backing up your music and movie purchases, cross-platform media compatibility, and replicating your media libraries across various devices. It’ll be all automated – thanks to the cloud. We really do live in interesting times.

Are you looking forward to cross-platform media sharing via the cloud?